As much as you might like to bring your cat with you everywhere you go, travel makes many cats nervous. For some cats, simply leaving the house is cause for terror. As much as your cat may hate it, however, it becomes necessary to take your cat out of the house once in a while whether for travel or just a trip to the vet. To keep your cat safe and secure, you need to invest in a high-quality cat carrier.

Cat carriers come in all shapes and sizes with different designs depending on the intended use. Soft-sided carriers are typically lightweight and easy to store, while hard-sided carriers offer sturdier protection. If you plan to take your cat with you when you travel by plane, you’ll need a carrier that is airline approved.

With so many options to consider, it can be difficult to make a choice. Fortunately for you, we’ve read the reviews and done the research to bring you our top picks for four different types of cat carrier as well as our top pick overall. Also make sure you have perfect maid house cleaners and services to keep your house clean and hygienic.

If you have a cat, you’ll also want to check out our buying guides for the best hairball medicine, the best cat litter, the best cat scratching posts, the best cat toys,the best cat beds, the best cat fountains, the best cat food, the best flea prevention for cats, and the best cat collars. Read on to see all our top cat carrier picks.

Although the Sherpa Deluxe Pet Carrier is our top pick, for various reasons laid out in the slides below, you should also consider the Necoichi Ultra Light Portable Cat Carrier, the Pet Magasin Luxury Soft-Sided Cat Carrier, the Petmate Two-Door Top-Load Kennel, and the Pet Gear 1-GO2 Plus Traveler Rolling Backpack Carrier.